M.A. Ray's Blog, page 7

Magic and Sex

Sex and magic in Rothganar are inextricably linked. The pleasure a caster feels when they perform a working is often likened to sexual pleasure, and many come to prefer it.

There are very few active practitioners of sex magic. It’s not something taught to children, as one might imagine, and great care is required in the practice. Otherwise, something can break, usually the aura of the participant(s) being drawn from, but in extreme cases, both.

Sex magic functions by allowing one to draw power through another’s aura, adding temporary strength to their own castings. Consensual contact is the most useful for this sort of practice, but some unscrupulous casters have been known to force themselves on others for the purpose of gaining magical power.

Witches are particularly valuable for this practice, because they can be drawn from directly, and without interference their auras replenish with power quickly and easily. The limits of a caster’s aura when drawing from the planet don’t affect them when drawing from a witch; instead, the aura of the witch herself is the only limit. In the case of Mongo the Great, for example, Mongo and his illusions on their own weren’t particularly great. He’d simply found a witch and was using her to feed his aura.

Snippet Sunday #13

Hard Time again this week!

If you don’t love Wallace MacNair, I think you might just be kind of wrong. If you don’t know him that well, he’s in The Service and has the lead in a short story of his own, Live Free or Die.

~*~

It seemed to take ages more for the door to open, and ages after that for Dingus to come through it. At first, Wallace didn’t even recognize him; his hair had dulled, and he’d gone thinner even than he’d been at Moot, absolutely rail-thin where before he’d been simply lean. His face—oh Lady, his face, it had already, even after only a couple of months, utterly changed. It was all planes and bones, hard and sharp like one of Da’s axe blades. His cheekbones especially stood out stark, and he’d grown something like a sparse beard.

Wallace stood, slow, shutting his mouth, and against his will he swallowed. With the keen lowering eyes, Dingus reminded him of a book Evan had once shown him, a book about the elves. The People, they liked that better, and suddenly he wanted nothing so much as for Dingus to like him enough to take that look off him, that look like a storm out of a face far more terrifying than it was lovely.

He resisted the urge to dip his chin. Instead he raised it, and met Dingus’s fire-and-lightning gaze. He was barely aware of the others, rising behind him.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“We—” Lukas started to say, but Dingus cut him off. Wrists chained in front of him and he was still scary enough to prickle the fine hairs on Wallace’s nape.

“I don’t want you here. You shouldn’t have come, and you definitely shouldn’t have brought her here. What’d you want anyway? Stare at the freak in his—”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” said Kessa.

“I don’t want you here! I didn’t want you to see—”

“Shut up, Dingus,” she said, stepped forward where Wallace could not, and hugged him hard.

“The Arab of the Future”

Today, because Saturday, I’m going to talk about something I read this week: The Arab of the Future, by Riad Sattouf, which you can take a look at here (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015WA0D72/).

I read both volumes available to me through the library, 1 and 2. This is a memoir in comics, and so far it’s been about the author’s childhood in Libya, Syria, and France. Sattouf was born of a Syrian father and a French mother. Most of the story thus far is set in Syria, where Sattouf’s blonde hair attracts a lot of racism and the assumption that he’s Jewish.

If I said “I enjoyed this,” it would give the wrong impression of the work. I found it readable, and it was done very well, but I don’t feel as if it’s a thing to be enjoyed, exactly. The vivid memories contained here are fascinating in their difference, and in their sameness too; Sattouf conveys the terror of being a small child with great accuracy. The emotional punch of comics as a medium brought this story home in a way that I feel prose couldn’t have, and the stillness of image as opposed to film made it stronger yet.

So was it enjoyable? Not particularly. It was difficult and challenging, at least for me. Is it worth your time? Absolutely, I’d say, yes. Easy isn’t the point. If you are purely a reader for entertainment, you might want to give this a pass, but otherwise, it’s well worth the effort to digest. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

Naheel Worship

Worship of Naheel is, for the most part, conducted by two different groups: Her official church, and the Order of Aurelius. Of late, the Order of Aurelius has done its best to distance itself from the church proper, and a schism doesn’t seem far off.

However, some things are still the same, and both the Church and the Order of Aurelius always include an oculus in their temples to the Queen of Heaven. Sanctuaries both tend to be opulently decorated with art and statuary, featuring the largest throned statue of the Queen of Heaven a particular church can afford at the apse. The richest churches will gild and jewel the statue. Only the High Priest or Priestess may put their back to it.

Aurelian worship is always conducted from bended knee on a bare floor. In the Glorious Kingdom of Muscoda, as the Order has gained power, more and more of the Queen’s churches have been converted to monasteries, and the public strongly urged to attend services there. The Queen’s official church allows worshipers to stand, sit, and kneel throughout the service, and places less emphasis on the ascetic traditions. Instead, for them, serving the Queen means enjoying Her blessings.

Many women serve as priestesses of the Queen. However, no women are admitted to the Order of Aurelius, and the Order is known for its self-denial and celibacy. Each monk is paired with a Brother, so there are always two, and the Mendicant and Militant are meant to check and support one another in carrying out the Rule.

With the founding of the Aurelian Security Prelates, after the destruction of Rothganar’s magic, came the gradual, but general, acceptance of corrupt teaching throughout the Order. Emphasis on service and care of the people was replaced with legalism and expansion of some dictates of the Rule to include those who hadn’t taken the offices. The Order of Aurelius has become the largest religious organization, other than the Churches of various deities, in Rothganar.

Kessa No-Name

Kessa is one of the most interesting characters — to me — in the whole of Menyoral. (Of course, I have to say that. I’m the writer.)

We first meet Kessa as an abused twelve-year-old girl. Contrary to popular belief, she’s actually six-foot-two when she first arrives onstage, less than an inch short of Dingus himself, and she looks strong and capable. She dreams of becoming an expert swordswoman.

The power of Kessa’s dream makes her susceptible, even though she’s physically stronger than a lot of grown men. Add to that her lack of status as a fatherless No-Name (a bastard), and she’s at a distinct disadvantage against the manipulative man in her life. She is how she is because I felt it was important for her to be that way; even girls who haven’t bloomed early like Kessa are under threats like she suffers from every day.

Some people don’t like her. At first that surprised me, but the more criticism she received, the more I realized it was important for her to be that way. She’s been taken advantage of, and she’s too young to serve as a sex object for Dingus. She’s not his reward; she’s his sister, and as their relationship develops I enjoy that more and more.

My World: A Guest Post by Martin Allen

I’ve been talking so much lately about Rothganar that I thought it would be nice to show you other worlds and other voices. This is the first of a series of many guest posts. I’ve invited several other authors I know to talk to you a little about their favorite fictional places. Here’s Martin Allen to guide you through Sol Invictus.

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Greetings and welcome to Sol Invictus, weary traveller. Please take the time to watch this instructional video on our glorious history and culture so as to better acquaint yourself with your surroundings… and avoid the pyres of the inquisition. (Please note attendance is mandatory and drone surveillance will monitor early departures, such is the will of Sol Invictus, our glorious God).

You have arrived by Trans. Hub a revolutionary matter transference technology which has allowed the Empire to spread itself and Invictus’s beneficent word throughout the galaxy. Please use this opportunity to rest and recuperate.

Sol Invictus used to be known as Earth prior to the rise of the Empire, but soon after mass globalisation it became painfully clear that the vast differences between the various cultures and religions of the world was a position that was unsustainable and was stopping mankind achieving its true potential. A movement was born, taking a name from the past that was largely untainted with the blood of the innocent, so little was known of its true origins. It quickly rose to prominence superseding the leading religions of the day. For such an act one would imagine the birth of the Empire in Death, Fire and War. Not so, it was a peaceful following of modern principles of Peace mixed with the old imagery of one of the Christian Church’s precursors Sol Invictus.

The movement was born out of distaste for the many religious disputes used primarily as an excuse for money, power or simply the age old human pleasure of killing another human because of historical disputes. The Leaders of this world in the Twenty-First Century, political and religious, had come to the realisation, that humans have always killed other humans, humans still kill other humans and that humans will continue killing other humans. They then proceeded to continue along their normal policies with uncaring about which country was invading which unless they were directly involved. The followers of Sol Invictus took exception to this and preached a revolutionary message of peace and incusion. Their message of non-violent resistance and unrelenting forgiveness somehow broke through. Perhaps it was their willingness to include other faiths and listen to their point of view that helped set them aside. Given that much of the historical records of Sol Invictine religious rights had been destroyed by the Early Christian Church, which was scared of competition, this gave the new worshipers the freedom to adjust their teachings to the intricacies of the day. They had no ultimate religious book that they had to use to justify their beliefs. Thus they could take the best of all religious doctrine and discard the outmoded and bigoted. Cogent opposition views were simply adopted them into this new religion. Soon the world had converted, apart from the few that clung to the old religions out of a sense of tradition, fear or real belief in the tenants of their religions.

Soon all war had stopped, there was no point humanity was all one, united in faith in Sol Invictus, or accepted as different; yet included.

In 2067 a minutes silence was held all over the world to morn the dead of all the wars ever held and a mere 3 months later the world leaders all signed a firm declaration of realistic disarmament.

I urge you all now to mourn the sad passing of all those innocents that are martyrs to the cause of peace, without them the Empire and Sol Invictus could not have been realised. We shall hold a brief moment of silence to remember them (remember you are being monitored), feel free to hold hands, or prostate yourself in prayer.

Amen.

You find yourself in Sol Invictus, the Capital City of the planet of Sol Invictus, itself the capital planet of the Empire. Newcomers may find locals referring to the planet simply as “Sol” and the city as “Invictus”, this is a perfectly acceptable shortening of the official titles.

You are invited to visit the central Temple of Sol Invictus as it has a rich history of its own, quite apart from our capital city. This is literally true. The Temple had once served another purpose having been the seat of the old Papacy in Rome. This however had been moved to Invictus from where St Paul’s (its previous name) had once stood, upon global acceptance of Sol Invictus as the Official Deity of the planet. This is a result of the true religion coming from the ashes of the old, but we can never go back to the old ways so the temple had to be moved.

You may find yourself confused by references to “The Seven Thousand” given the monotheistic nature of the Empire, this is normal. The Seven Thousand are appealed to for leniency in the prayers of those who feel they have failed the Empire. For although the Empire cannot afford the mercies of injustice, the fact that the Seven Thousand had once been Human and are now, by virtue of the manner of their release from Humanity, now so much more allows them to intervene in the Divine plan and allow some measure of mercy to the sinful. The Mortal Sins cannot be intervened for, but the fact that there is a chance for the minor indiscretions gives some measure of comfort to the population of the Empire for we are all human and thus imperfect. The Seven Thousand form a bridge between the mortal realm and the Divine. They can even intervene in the here and now. They are the soldiers of the Divine and watch over us and the Empire with eternal vigilance.

We hope that you enjoy your stay and find salvation in Sol Invictus, for now that the Empire stands proudly and unopposed there is no need for any other God… or their followers. Those of you who have not yet been entered into the Invictine religion as yet will be detained and given a chance to convert and renounce your Gods, for Sol Invictus is merciful. Those who refuse shall be shriven in the pyres of the Inquisition, those of you who sin shall face trial and justice by the hands of the Inquisition.

Sol Invictus watches… and punishes the ungodly.

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About the Author

Martin Allen graduated from the University of Northumbria at Newcastle in 2003 with a Law LL.B (Hons) Exempting L.P.C. Degree. He has worked in many different areas of the Legal Sector and built up a wealth of experience.

Martin enjoys reading and writing Science Fiction but has taken the time to write a few Legal pieces, one of which is available in E-Book format through Amazon (The Prosecutor’s Fallacy: The Reliability of DNA and Fingerprint Evidence).

The Phoenix Series is a Science Fiction series set in a world where a Theocracy has come to power. “Phoenix: Penitence” is a short story set in this world. The first Novel “Phoenix: Rising” charts the rise of a new interpretation of the theological teachings of this Empire and the lengths this Empire will go to protect itself from it. The story is told from the point of view of an Imperial Investigator caught in the middle of the Empire’s manoeuvrings. The Prequel, Phoenix: Ashes tells the story of the Seven Thousand, part of the mythology of the Empire in Phoenix: Rising and tells their story.

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If you’d like to see more from Martin, you can visit him in these places on the web.

Tour Guide Tuesday: Tangletree Palace

Tangletree Palace lies deep in the swamp to the east of Brightwater. This great palace of the People is home to Rhuach Lieseassar (King Brother Wolf) and Cuiladh (Bright Moon), and their eight sons.

Many of the outbuildings and other surrounding structures are on stilts, but the Palace proper was once a stand of banyans, trained by magic into a single, living edifice and carefully enchanted to keep its shape as it grows larger. The throne itself grows and leafs in the Great Hall sprouting from the side of the complex, a room composed of woven branches and lit by shafts of sunshine.

The windows are all of clarified tree sap, except in the family chapel at the highest point of the Palace, in which gleaming pews are made to grow from the parquet floor and the floor-to-ceiling windows are swirled with fabulous color. In the structure’s deepest chamber, touched by a single shaft of sun once a day, lies the hunk of native limestone inscribed with the spell that caused Tangletree to grow, and supports and maintains the Palace even now. The attached stables house gigantic riding dragonflies.

The interior of the Palace drips with moss, leaves, and vines; it blooms and grows constantly. Visitors must beware of roots causing humps in the floors, though these are repaired as soon as they’re noticed, and of hanging plants. Most of the furniture, like the throne, is composed of trained roots. Each mushroom that fruits in the darker chambers is of a carefully chosen, edible species, and stacks of luminescent shelf fungi light the Palace at night or during storms.

Though it is a lovely place to visit, most of Tangletree Palace is devoted to private quarters. The Wolfs value their family time above all else, and visitors are rare despite the Palace’s beauty.

Magic and the Body

In Rothganar, the ability to channel and control magic is determined by the strength of the caster’s aura, which is in turn determined by the person’s body (genetically, to use an anachronism, but also by contact with magic bubbles and other phenomena). Today I want to talk a bit about how a caster’s body affects their magic and vice versa.

First, an ill or injured caster will have trouble producing effects. Casting spells requires mental discipline, and if they don’t have enough of it to push past sickness or hurt, it’s not going to happen. Mental illness can affect a caster’s ability in positive or negative ways; for example, casters with schizophrenia may be especially adept at producing illusions of sight, sound, or other sensations. Mentally ill casters may have difficulty bringing their thoughts away from certain patterns.

A caster’s aura is something they’re born with, and contacts and filters the magic of Rothganar itself. The energy they filter affects first their bodies, and then objects they frequently touch, use, or wear. Casters must take care with dropped hair, severed extremities and limbs, and other bodily products, as well as favorite pieces of clothing or bedding. If an enemy gets hold of some part or possession, with the correct Words they’ll be able to affect the caster’s body or aura from a distance, or to unerringly locate the caster anywhere in the world. This practice of corporomancy is taboo in polite company, but commonly practiced behind closed doors.

As usual, where sex is involved, things get a little messy. Next Monday I’ll be talking about that, so if you want to find out about that stuff, come back soon.

Snippet Sunday #12

A little piece of Hard Time this week.

“Sing No Evil”

For my Saturday posts, since this is rapidly becoming a blog for my readers, I want to talk about a book I liked.

Last week I had the privilege of reading Sing No Evil, a graphic novel by JP Ahonen and KP Alare. I picked it up at the library because I loved the cover (which you can see here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBRM7FQ/), and the description really delighted me, so I checked it out.

In all fairness, this thing is right up three of my alleys (comics, urban fantasy, and METAL), so my thoughts on it might be biased, but the art and design is just spectacular. During the performance and dream sequences the artist goes crazy; the coloring and layout of the pages, along with expressive posture, really conveys the transports of playing and listening to music, especially live.

I wish it had been longer. I’d like to have seen better treatment of the magic, which really wasn’t a Thing until later in the book. The foreshadowing was very nice, well done, but ultimately the tension fizzled in an anticlimax.

I’d still recommend it, issues aside. It was well-written in general, engrossing. And damn, it was just so beautiful to look at.